I think it has some gospel influence in that, for me personally, gospel has always been about soul. I am trying to find my personal Jesus, as Depeche Mode would say. It does my heart good to hear people sing about something they believe in so strongly, even though I can't personally believe in many things or anything.
In a 2008 interview with Under The Radar Jim James explained how listening to Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye influenced the making of Evil Urges.- Jim James, talking about Evil Urges
(May 2008)
"That stuff has always been really important to me because I think it’s cool to see music that is really emotionally and spiritually fulfilling but that makes you want to move your body, too. I love folk music, but I think that’s something that it lacks. With some folk music—and maybe rock music, too—you can get into a real cerebral place, but you don’t necessarily want to physically move to it. You just want to sit in your bed and cry. [laugh]But I’ve been trying to get into music that resonates emotionally but with an uplifting power that also makes me want to jump around the apartment."- Jim James
(Under The Radar interview, June 2008)
